Chador - Today

Today

Before the Islamic Revolution, black chadors were reserved for funerals and periods of mourning. Light, printed fabrics were the norm for everyday wear. Currently, the majority of women who wear the chador reserve the usage of light colored chadors for around the house or for prayers. The only women who still go outside in urban areas in a light colored chador are elderly women of rural backgrounds and women from tribal backgrounds. It is considered inapprioriate for a young or middle aged woman to go outside in a colored or printed chador.

During the reign of the Shah of Iran, such traditional clothing was largely discarded by wealthier, urban, upper-class women in favor of modestly worn Western clothing, although women in small towns and villages continued to wear the chador.

Iranian women are not required by law to wear chadors. Many women do so for several reasons, religious piety, cultural tradition and respectability. However, other women also fulfill the government requirements by wearing a combination of a headscarf and a long overcoat which conceals her arms and legs. The overcoat is known by a French word, manteau. Some women wearing manteaux would also wear them for religious reasons.

Like the hijab, the chador has become popular among women in Islamist movements wishing to visibly identify themselves as Muslims and as an assertion of dignity and Islamic culture.